Sugru is an air-curing rubber that can be formed and shaped by hand, sticks to most surfaces, cures to a tough flexible silicon overnight, and is stable at -60°C to + 180°C. Strong, flexible, waterproof and durable, it can be used for a multitude of purposes to adapt, modify and repair. Its uses are really only limited by your imagination. Once cured it can be removed with a craft knife and the residue removed with fingernails and tissue paper if required.

Hard to explain all the uses so have a look at the clip after the jump, or visit the Sugru website.  Available in multi-application packs from £7.50 ( $12 ).

Filed in categories: Do-It-Yourself, Geek Toys, News

Tagged: Repair, rubber

Sugru – Hack things better originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 18, 2012 at 9:00 am.

While maybe not as versatile as a Leatherman or similar multi-tool on your keyring, you’ve got to admit that this is pretty cute.  The Tool Tank from Spinning Hat Playful Design includes three heads ( large and small phillips and flat ) cleverly disguised in its tracks.  Each head magnetically fixes into the turret and it’s available in green and red. Might not be the best design for getting into those tight places but what do you expect from a tank ?

Available for preorder for £9.99 ( $15 )

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, News

Tagged: Keychain, Multi-tool

Tool Tank – Is that a tank in your pocket or are you just… originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 16, 2012 at 9:00 am.

Warning: If you like robots, DO NOT READ this article. Don’t.do.it… If you decide not to heed my advice, it won’t be my fault if your productivity goes down the drain for the next 8hrs and your credit card starts to complain. You’ve been warned.

Note: Click the images in this review to see a larger view.

I love toy robots and have started a small collection which you can see in the image above. I tend to like the ones that look a little retro, but I’m not that picky. The other day I was surfing around and somehow happened upon one of the coolest sites I’ve seen in a long time. It’s a 3D printing site called My Robot Nation.

Using their web based building tool, you can construct your own custom robot from over 9 billion part combinations. You can choose from many different heads, torsos, arms and legs. One caveat though… you have to use Chrome or Firefox to use their web based builder tool as it requires a WebGL enabled browser.

You can add all kinds of parts and stickers to your robot such as bolts, grills, visors, logos, letters, etc. Each part can be rotated and sized. You can even spin the robot around to add parts to the back side.

When you’ve finished adding parts, you can paint your robot by simply choosing a color and pointing and clicking on the part you want to paint.

But wait, there’s more! You can also pose the figure by turning the head, torso and arms.

Are you drooling yet?

I think I spent 2hrs or more building my first one, which you see above. I decided to purchase the smallest size – 2 inches due to price. $17.99 didn’t seem that much to pay for a 2 inch tall custom robot that I designed myself. But $169.99 for a 6 inch robot was way more than I wanted to spend. So I placed the order and waited about a week for my creation to arrive.

Here he is! Pretty cool right? If you aren’t familiar with 3D printing, here is some information about it directly from My Robot Nation’s site:

The printer projects the digital model of the 3D object into a compact base of gypsum powder (similar to plaster of Paris). Next, just as an inkjet moves over paper to print a document, it deposits a binder with 24-bit color layer-by-layer into the plaster-like base, literally building your robot millimeter by millimeter from the powder.

As it’s built, the loose powder around it supports its structure so there is no wasteful scaffolding to remove, no toxic materials or run-off, and the unused loose powder is recycled right back into the machine.

According to their FAQ, the printing process is pretty time consuming. The robot is printed at a rate of about one inch per hour and requires about 48 hours to cure.

The figure feels a bit fragile and isn’t something you want to “play” with or give to a small child. I’m pretty sure that dropping it on a hard surface from even a very short distance would cause it to break.

I am really happy with the way my first Robot turned out and I definitely have plans to create another one or a whole army of robots in the near future. The online building tool is very easy to use and is a lot of fun.

So, who is going to order one?

Filed in categories: Do-It-Yourself, Geek Toys, Reviews

Tagged: Robot

My Robot Nation – Build Your Own Robot Figurine originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 12, 2012 at 3:00 pm.

You’ve probably seen these little robotic rabbits before; they were introduced a few years ago with the name Nabaztag.  Violet is introducing a new version at CES that has all the cute and more smarts.  The new Karotz is the first hardware device made especially for Facebook, and it can update your status with audio files it records, texts, or photos.  Friends can take control of your Karotz and use its integrated webcam to see what it sees, send you a message or audio file, send a poke, or move the rabbit’s ears or change the color of its light to get your attention.  It has advanced voice recognition and can respond to questions and search the internet to find answers, and it can play music, check for new emails, read the weather report, RSS feeds, tweets, and more.  Some accessories available for the Karotz have RFID tags, so the rabbit can recognize when your child gets home and send you an email to let you know.  The free Karotz Controller app is available now in the Android Market or in Apple’s App Store.  Karotz are available at Karotz.com and the Amazon, Brookstone, J&R, Computerworld, and ThinkGeek websites for $129.99 MSRP.

Filed in categories: Android related, Geek Toys, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: Internet Appliance, RFID

Violet Launches Karotz Smart Rabbit That’s Compatible with Social Networks originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 10, 2012 at 12:00 pm.

Would you like to teach your child about internal combustion engines – or learn about them yourself?  With the Internal Combustion Engine Kit from Hammacher Schlemmer, you can build a working 1/10 scale model from more than 100 ABS plastic parts.  The kit comes complete with tools and a Haynes Manual, the definitive auto repair reference since 1965, to guide you through the construction with step-by-step instructions and printed diagrams.  You’ll just add a small amount of vegetable oil to lubricate the parts.  The engine is powered by a small electric motor (requires 2 AA batteries).  The engine block is clear, so you’ll be able to watch the pistons move, the spark plugs fire, the shaft rotate, and the timing belt move with the radiator fan belt.  The kit is $49.95.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, News

Tagged: Geek toy, internal combustion engine

Build Your Own Internal Combustion Engine originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 1, 2012 at 8:00 am.

The PowerUp Electric Powered Paper Airplane Conversion Kit from TailorToys will turn a homemade folded paper airplane into an electric powered propeller driven plane. It comes with one propeller module and a charger module which runs on 3 AA batteries. You will need to supply your own paper to fold your plane. Once folded, clip the propeller module in place and charge it. 20 seconds of charge time will fly your plane for around 30 seconds or so. This looks like it could be a lot of fun for less than $20. You can get yours at Amazon.com

Filed in categories: Do-It-Yourself, Geek Toys, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: Toy

Convert a Paper Airplane into an Electric Plane originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 30, 2011 at 10:00 am.

If you just can’t find the right belt buckle, you should try the Scrolling LED Belt Buckle from Gadgets and Gear.  You’ll be able to type in six of your own messages; the first can have 512 characters, but the other five are limited to 256 characters each.  The buckles are available with either red or blue LEDs, and the speed and brightness are adjustable.  You’ll have to supply your own belt, but the buckle will fit most standard belts.  The Scrolling LED Belt Buckle is $39.99.

Filed in categories: Gear, Geek Toys, News

Tagged: belt, Clothing

Scrolling LED Belt Buckle originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 28, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

For those of you show-offs who find a regular Rubik’s Cube too easy, there’s the Simplicity Cubic 3x3x7 Uneven IQ Brick from Brando’s toy selection.  Brando says this toy offers left and right brain training, and IQ & EQ training.  They also say that it will provide fun in your home and at your office.  (I think that perhaps this toy was really designed as an instrument of torture. )  The Simplicity Cubic 3X3X7 Uneven IQ Brick is $26.90 at Brando.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, News

Tagged: Geek toys

When a Regular Rubik’s Cube is Just Too Easy originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 27, 2011 at 9:23 am.

A couple of years ago, Julie told us about the Mindflex game from Mattel.  It’s a “a mental acuity game where you use your thoughts to move a ball through an obstacle course.”  Now Mattel is offering the Mindflex Duel so you can go head-to-head (pardon the expression) against your friends.  There are five game modes, and the game comes with two headsets and four foam balls.  The Mindflex Duel is available through Amazon.  Price varies depending on the vendor, but starts at about $80 for a new game.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, News

Tagged: Brain, Games

Use the Power of Your Mind with the Mindflex Duel Game originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 23, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

Lots of companies will print your custom design on a shirt for you, but that’s so static!  No one but ThinkGeek lets you design on your shirt as you’re wearing it.  You’ll use the included UV laser to draw any design on your Lazer Shirt Interactive Tee.  When you go into the dark, your shirt will glow with the design you’ve drawn.  The design will eventually fade away, and the shirt will be ready for your next masterpiece.  The shirt is machine washable.  It’s available in adult sizes in white only for $24.99.  (Photo courtesy of ThinkGeek.)

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, News

Tagged: Clothing, Geek gift

Design Your Own T-Shirt – While You’re Wearing It originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 21, 2011 at 10:00 am.

Forget the candles and greenery centerpieces for your holiday table.  This year, you can decorate with candlesticks that are scale replicas of Darth Vader’s lightsaber.  Of course, the Star Wars Lightsaber Candlestick is from ThinkGeek.  The  detailed candlesticks are molded in chrome-plated zinc alloy, and they stand 8.5″ tall.  They come with 3 10″-long dripless, red tapers, but most available candles will fit.  The base is removable for more authentic play – er, display.  Each candlestick is $29.99.  You need to hurry if you hope to have them in time for the holidays!

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Kitchen Gadgets, News

Tagged: Candlesticks, Star Wars Lightsaber

Make Your Holiday Table Bright with Darth Vader’s Lightsaber originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 8, 2011 at 10:00 am.

The Twine is created by Supermechanical , a pair of graduates from  MIT Media Lab, and is currently seeking ( well, they’ve actually already exceeded ) funding on Kickstarter. The Twine is a durable 2.5″ square that provides in-built wifi connectivity, internal on-board temperature and accelerometer, as well as an external expansion jack for other sensors ( such as moisture ).  Power is supplied either by an on-board mini USB or two AAA batteries.   Using the Spool cloud web app using simple English commands ( no programming skills required ) , you can easily monitor the status of your Twine and then when certain rules are triggered you can get an email, SMS Twitter, or configurable HTTP request.

Looks like a really kewl and easy to use concept.

Check out the video on Kickstarter.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Home Tech, News

Tagged: Gadgets

Twine – Strings the real world to the internet originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 29, 2011 at 10:00 am.

Sivlerlit did well when they named this toy the 3D Twister because my play (err…I mean precise testing methodology) mostly involved watching the car skitter around our home and later our concrete driveway literally flipping, spinning, hopping and jumping around. At full throttle the car looks more like a frenetic animal than a toy car, so much so that a squirrel actually charged it a couple of times while we were playing (err testing).

A note to parents while this car seemed relatively safe for children five and older you’re going to have to help them get it out of the packaging and up and running. Manufacturers needs to rethink their packaging because holidays and birthdays are no fun when a parent is required to bring a toolbox and spend more time opening their child’s gifts than they do playing with them. The 3D Twister is not the worst example of problem packaging, but it does require an adult to cut many pieces of tape, then cut through two plastic wire ties (scissors, knife or snips are necessary) and finally either undo or cut two more twist ties to free the car. Then it’s time to get out your small screwdriver and find four AA batteries because they’re not included.

What's in the box...

Once I got the box open I found the car, remote, two spare tires, an instruction sheet, small “pairing” addendum, two sheets of paper-backed tape and a piece of cardboard. The car is about six inches long and weighs just under two ounces (50g). I’ve owned several small RC cars in the past and the build-quality of this one seemed a level or two better (in other words I wasn’t afraid it was going to fall apart in my hands). This proved to be true as during the crash-test stage the 3D Twister exhibited no signs of physical damage despite many hard crashes and the aforementioned squirrel attack.

However, out of the box my 3D Twister had a couple of problems. The front end of the car that controlled the steering was defective as it did not have enough tension to keep the wheels pointing straight. One side was good the other allowed the wheels to flop in that direction. The trim adjustment had no effect on this problem. It was possible to drive the car straight by correcting the wheels back in place with the remote steering, but this car moves very, very fast and that’s pretty hard to do. I saw no sign of damage to the car, but I believe a spring or tension device was either missing or defective on one side.

The front wheels just didn't want to stay straight.

The other problem involved the car’s crash feedback system. For those of you who are familiar with video game consoles that send vibrations back to their controllers this was supposed to be a similar mechanism. When the car crashes it would send a signal back to the transmitter causing it to vibrate. I felt the feedback twice in all the time we tested it and it was seemingly a random event. I believe the technology works; I just think the unit I received was defective.

What wasn’t defective was the little electric motor or the flip sensor. Flip sensor? Yes, the car actually has two tops, one red and one blue. It doesn’t matter which side is up as the car will send a signal to the controller and the controls adjust automatically. So turning the wheel to the right always makes the car go right, forward is forward and so on. This is a much-needed feature for this car as the power delivered to the rear wheels has the front end off the ground quite often. Have I mentioned that this little car is fast? The 3D Twister travels at about 21 feet per second (14.5 MPH). That means it will move across most rooms in under two seconds. Parents don’t despair while the 3D Twister moves quickly and will collide quite often with…everything…it’s so light that I didn’t see any damage or marks to our walls or furniture.

The 3D Twister is almost always a blur...

I was disappointed in the Bump & Run Stunt Ramp that was included with the car. The pictures on the box show the 3D Twister flipping and driving down a plastic road/ramp. What you get is a rectangular piece of cardboard with some cuts that allows you to use the included tape (if you can get it off the back which I couldn’t) to build a small, four-sided ramp. Of course, it’s possible to build your own ramps out of some cardboard.

After running the car over the ramp  a couple of times my fellow researcher (six-year-old son) reported that the most fun to be had was putting the car on the floor…holding the accelerator all the way down and watching it zip around, bounce off walls, furniture, and cabinets, in a blurred display of hopping, flipping and, top-like, spinning.

Unfortunately, like most RC toys in this class the battery lasts under 10 minutes and then requires a cool-down period of 15 minutes and a recharge time of roughly 20 minutes before play can begin again. The battery is not replaceable so you can’t keep another charged pack ready as is normally done with the larger RC toys. After about two play/cool/charge cycles my co-researcher declared the 3D Twister to be boring and left to pursue his work on forcing cold fission between grape jelly molecules and the surface of several DVDs.

Refueling (charging) the 3D Twister is done by connecting a cable from the remote to the car.

For the sake of science I carried on with the research and took the car and transmitter outside to our concrete driveway to see if a large, relatively flat and clear area would allow me to see just how fast the car was when not hitting all of those bothersome things that we tend to keep inside our homes. The car is so fast, and so light though that even the slightest imperfection in the surfaces causes the 3D Twister to hop or flip. So, while dreams of a mini-Bonneville Salt Flats were dashed the larger open space allowed for some more fun and the interesting encounter with a squirrel.

I was running the car around trying to see what the maximum range is on the transmitter’s radio (about 30 feet) when a squirrel approached and started watching intently as the 3D Twister hopped and flipped around my driveway. When moving at full speed the car is very erratic and really does look like something that could be alive (albeit in a mad frenzy). So either out of lust, hunger or anger the squirrel actually charged the car but backed off when it hit a small pebble and went into a spin. The squirrel then ran at the 3D Twister again…this time though our furry friend got too close and was hit by one of the rear wheels and scampered away. Some rough calculations that required me to actually use Pi (rather than eat it) lead me to believe that the rear tires are spinning at close to 5,000 RPM at full speed…placing them above the maximum safe squirrel facial friction levels.

So, after about three hours of use/cooling/charging my testing of Silverlit’s 3D Twister RC Racer is complete and here are the results:

Be prepared to cut wire and twist ties to free your toy.

1. Packaging: Not great – Requires tools to snip through plastic wire ties and twist ties. Expect safe removal of the toy to take 10 – 15 minutes unless you have everything at the ready. Remember to have four AA batteries and a small screwdriver with you as batteries are not included.
2. Quality – There were two defects in the unit I received (front wheels and crash feedback). If I had purchased this unit I would have returned it for another. I didn’t find any reports of widespread problems with this toy on the internet, so I’ll assume it was just a manufacturing fluke.The transmitter feels and looks like cheap plastic, however it worked well during our testing. I don’t believe it would survive extended use or any kind of drop. Somehow though, I don’t think many of these small RC cars ever get used more than a few times.The 3D Twister car was better built than I expected. After several hours of running into, through and over everything in sight there were no physical signs of damage on the car’s body. The foam tires were beginning to show a little wear, but that was probably from use on the driveway and the kit comes with a spare set.
3. Fun Factor – I have owned a couple of RC cars and boats in the past, but tired of them after a few runs. My son loves cars and trucks, he has watched every episode of Top Gear, owns hundreds of Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars and the complete set of Chevron vehicles. He will pontificate on the advantages that the Aston Martin has over BMW and loves to go to our local race track (Palm Beach International Raceway). He was excited to play with the car, with dad, and on his own. He became pretty adept at using the remote. However, the short battery life followed with the cool down/charge cycle killed his interest pretty quickly. I would expect an older child (around 10 perhaps) might get more use/fun out of this toy.
4. Value – The 3D Twister lists at $49.99. While there is some pretty impressive technology in this toy like the 2.4GHz radio, flip sensor and crash detection and the car, itself, appears to be quite sturdy I don’t believe either me or my son would get $50 worth of fun out of it. However, someone that really likes RC cars may feel otherwise and find this to be a great gift. I should note that it appears the package I received may not be the full kit that is sold for $49.99. If you go to https://get3dtwister.com/ to make your purchase you should receive what appears to be three or four plastic ramps rather than the cardboard model I described.
5. Additional Information – Since I am not an RC car expert I took a spin around the internet and found someone who is and here’s his video review of the 3D Twister. Best of all it doesn’t appear any squirrels were harmed during the production.

Update: 12/23/2011: The people at Silverlit and JS2 (squared) Communications sent me a second 3D Twister this time with the full ramp set. The wheel problem was mostly fixed. The front wheels were still a bit off, but this was easily adjusted to “true” with the trim adjustment. The crash feedback was working very well on this model. The additional ramps are sturdier and allow for some different configurations that my son enjoyed greatly.  After several additional hours of “testing” the 3D Twister has earned the label of “really fun” from my oldest boy (six), it has also not been broken yet which is quite an accomplishment.

I’ve received a couple of comments about the squirrel attack. That same squirrel (there are only a couple in the neighborhood) came up to our front porch and attacked/killed an avocado tree seedling we had recently moved outside.

No animals were harmed in the creation of this review – yet.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Kid Gadgets, Reviews

Tagged: enj, RC Toy

Silverlit’s 3D Twister 2.4 GHz RC Racer Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 25, 2011 at 11:15 am.

I saw this on BookOfJoe and thought it could be fun to exercise some literary talent while waiting for my bagel to thaw out in the micro. This could be a fun thing for the office fridge too.  As we run to the magical mystical appliance this weekend looking for gobble left overs, why not scramble up some scrabble scraps?

From the FredFlare web site: “It has 100 letters using the standard English Scrabble distribution”.

$15 Refrigerator and frozen bagels not included.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Kitchen Gadgets, News

Tagged:

Gobble Gob– er Scrabble Scrabble originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 24, 2011 at 8:25 pm.

Why carry around that big screen notebook or tablet or on the other hand have to put up with a small smartphone-sized screen when you can run Android on almost any device with a USB  or HDMI port and a screen?  The Cotton Candy from FXI Tech is a prototype USB-sized stick that allows a user to take their Android OS with them anywhere and have single and secure access to all their applications, including cloud services.

Powered by an ARM Cotrex A9 1.2 processor and fitted out with Wifi 802.11/g/b/n, Bluetooth, 1GB DRAM, and up to 64 GB microSD storage, the stick also includes HDMI output and  runs Android 2.3. It can also support Unbuntu as well as a virtualised client for Windows, Linux and Mac.

When hooked up and plugged in it runs Android (or other OS ) applications in a secure window, essentially creating a dumb terminal. Benefits touted by FXI include consumer friendly access to the Cloud, extending the life of consumer hardware, consistent experience across all screens, and  consolidation of personal digital data.

So carry it to your hotel room, whip it out of your pocket, and plug it into the 42″ LCD and voila, big screen Android (though for a TV you will have to carry a bluetooth keyboard, and mouse, and some form of USB power).

Interesting concept , maybe a bit impractical for television connection at the moment given what additional gear you’d have to carry with you , but perhaps a look into the future where everyone carries their personal computer on their keyring ?

FXI’s CEO expects to see mass release in the second half of 2012 for about $200. See more information at FXI Tech

Filed in categories: Android related, Geek Toys

Tagged: Android, USB

FXI Technology Cotton Candy – Sweet Android on a Stick originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 21, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

Hammacher Schlemmer has released the Bionic Bopper. The Bopper allows each driver to battle it out to deliver the round winning, chin-lifting uppercut. The driver sits inside the Bopper’s protective steel cage cockpit and use two independent joysticks to maneuver while the thumb triggers activate two pneumatic powered , tire-treaded-fisted arms.

Powered by a Honda gas engine, the robots are capable of travelling at 3 mph.  A front display shows successful scoring hits. The fuel capacity allows for up to 5 hour bouts and a built-in rechargeable battery powers the electronics.  Made of sturdy steel with fibreglass and aluminium body panels, they measure 74″ X 59″ X 62″ and weigh in at 850lbs.

Available from Hammacher  for $17000. Order now and you can be duking it out over who gets the last Christmas pudding

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, News

Tagged: Robot

Hammacher Schlemmer Bionic Bopper Car – Float like a lawnmower sting like a… originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 13, 2011 at 10:31 am.

A company named Royal Jumbo has created the iPawn board games that you play on your iPad.  There are four games available now – Snakes and Ladders, Game of Goose (shown), Air Hockey, and the Fishing Game.  You buy a set of playing pieces and download a free app for your iPad.  The pieces are made of ABS plastic that transmit small electrical charges from your fingers to the iPad screen.  The board will animate as you move the pieces – for example, the snakes will writhe and hiss as you move your piece by them in Snakes and Ladders.  The games should ship later this month.  A UK company, Firebox, is taking pre-orders now.  Luckily for us in the US, Firebox will ship internationally.  The iPawn games are about $16 each, and Firebox is offering all four on pre-order.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: Games, iPad app

iPawn Interactive Games – Family Game Night Using Your iPad originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 4, 2011 at 8:13 am.

First seen at CES 2011, Sony Websites around the world are now showing the HMZT1 Personal 3D View Head Mounted Display for preorder.  Using dual OLED HD screens , virtual 5.1 Surround Sound and TruBlack displays, the headset’s designed to immerse you into movies and games in the intimacy of your own personal cinema. “Get the equivalent of your very own  150″ movie screen just 12 feet away, in either 2D or 3D.”

The unit is compatible with Sony’s Blu-ray disc players and Playstation 3.  Expected shipping is on or around 10/26/2011, and you can preorder online from Sony US for $799.99.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Geek Toys, News

Tagged: 3D, HD TV

A Virtual 150″ Movie Screen – Sony Personal 3D Viewer Head Mounted Display HMZT1 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 25, 2011 at 10:00 am.

Even though I’m a big fan of eBooks, I still love browsing through honest to goodness physical books. I find that there are some types of books that I prefer to be of the dead tree variety. One of these types is the large format, picture rich, coffee table book. I have a great example of a coffee table book that a large percentage of you that read The Gadgeteer will probably love to flip through. It’s The Cult of LEGO by John Baichtal and Joe Meno, from No Starch Press. If you love LEGO, you’ll really enjoy this book.

The Cult of LEGO isn’t like most of the other LEGO books that I own, that only show pages and pages of model examples. This book isn’t going to show you how to build a race car, but it does have tons of content about LEGO brick history, as well as AFOLs (Adult Fans of LEGO) and their creations.

The book is full color, hardcover, with 304 pages. There are 12 chapters that cover topics such as: The History of LEGO, Minifig Mania and LEGO Art.

I love some of the tidbits included in the text, such as the fact that there are over 200,000 LEGO videos on YouTube! Wow, who knew? Now I want to go waste hours watching them Or what about the over 1 million photos that are tagged with LEGO on Flickr?

The Cult of LEGO has interesting stories about people like us, who still enjoy playing with these colorful bricks even when we’re in our 40′s and beyond. There are also stories about people who have taken LEGO building to another level. You’ll definitely be inspired to go looking for your collection of bricks stored somewhere in your house, or to your local Walmart to buy a bucket if you don’t have any.

This book is fun and a great addition to any geek’s library.

The Cult of LEGO is current available for Pre-Order, but will be available in November. It’s priced at $39.95 through No Starch, but you can get it for less through Amazon.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Kid Gadgets, Reviews

Tagged: Book, LEGO

Cult of LEGO Book Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 24, 2011 at 5:00 pm.

If you’re like me you love 360° panoramic pictures, but trying to get a good one is hampered by having to be very precise with overlapping, lighting and other factors. Using 36 fixed focus 2 megapixel Camera modules and an accelerometer used to measure launch acceleration, the Panoramic Ball captures a full spherical  panoramic view at the highest point of flight when it’s hardly moving. The ball is padded with foam ( just in case you don’t catch it ) and once the photo is taken can easily be downloaded via USB into a special spherical panoramic viewer.

Starting as a Diploma Thesis, this concept will be shown at SIGGRAPH Asia 2011 as the Emerging Technologies demonstration.

Let’s hope someone picks this up and starts funding a commercial version.

Check out the video  below and for more info see Jonas Pfeil’s Website ( You really do have to see it to fully understand and appreciate )

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, News, Outdoor Gear

Tagged: Digital Camera

Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera – A Whole Ball of Fun originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 15, 2011 at 3:43 pm.

NERF has certainly changed from the spongy footballs from when I was a kid!  Sakar International, under license from Hasbro, has just announced NERF-branded gear for kids, including night vision goggles, helmet cams, and other audio, visual, and technology merchandise.  This gear has been specifically designed and molded to look like the NERF material of today.  Whether your kids are budding movie directors or ghost hunters, you can outfit them with night vision goggles, a digital camera that can be mounted to a helmet or bike, a pocket DVR with a preview screen, or a 2.1MP or 5.1MP digital camera packaged with social media software.  Other products in the line include a 2GB PC/Mac-compatible flash drive shaped like a mini-NERF blaster, 2GB digital MP3 player, walkie-talkies with up to a 1000-ft range, and a multi-function flashlight.  Initially, these products will be available at Toys ‘R Us.  Prices will range from $19.99 to $59.99.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Geek Toys, News

Tagged: DVR, Kids' gadgets, MP3 player, night vision

NERF-Branded Tech Gear from Sakar Set to Blast Off for the Holidays originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 10, 2011 at 8:05 am.

The holidays are getting ready to hit again–somehow it seems like I just finished paying off the bills from this past holiday season.  Luckily Hasbro has a new toy out that is very cool and doesn’t put a strain on my thinning wallet–the Tonka XT Ricochet Trickster.

Last season’s R/C “it” toy seemed to be those copters–complete with warning labels about fragility and replacement blades.  When I see a name like “Tonka”, the first thing I think of is the classic sturdy Tonka truck.  That classic look and feel has been miniaturized in these Tricksters.  Kids can take control of their Trick car, perform three pre-programmed stunts including Rampage Flip,” the “Buzzsaw Spin,” and the “Zig-Zag Jolt”.  The cars are all two-sided, meaning they can flip off obstacles, fly off ramps, and even spin from one side to the other in typical tough-Tonka fashion.

The remote requires 5 AA batteries and includes a cable to charge the car directly from the remote.  A 20-30 minute charge provides 15-30 minutes of run time.

Tonka XT Ricochet Trickster is intended for kids 6 and up and is available through Target for about $24.99.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Home Tech, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: R/C car, tonka

Tonka XT Ricochet Trickster R/C Car originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 8, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

If you’re bored with LEGO, how about checking out Playable Metal building sets. Playable Metal sets are made of an aluminum alloy and come in different colors and allow you to build 3 dimensional structures. The parts are connected together with special screws. YoYo.com offers a variety of sets that range in price from $34.95 – $74.95. YoYo offers a lot of different building toys that I’ve never heard of before. I tempted to pull out my credit card… How many of you still play with building toys?

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: Construction, toys

LEGO too ho hum? How about Playable Metal? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 25, 2011 at 3:00 pm.

Bored at work?  Angry Birds not fun anymore?  Then there’s a new toy in town.  Desk Pets just released the TankBot.  It’s a small tank-like robot, hence TankBot.

It has three features:
1) Autonomous – Uses infrared sensors to avoid objects in its path.
2) Free roaming – Random driving around.
3) Remote – Which uses a free mobile app and a IR adaptor (connected to your headphone jack) to control the TankBot.

It comes in 4 colors which runs on different frequencies.  Great for the office drag race.  Only downside is that the internal rechargeable batteries only lasts 15 minutes at a time.  Good news is that it has a flip down USB port that you can plug into your computer to charge it.  When your boss questions what it is then you can always say it’s a thumb drive!

I can’t find the exact pricing on this but it seems to fall around $25.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, News

Tagged: desk pets, tankbot

Have some fun in the office with TankBot originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 24, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

If you love RC cars and iOS devices, how about combining the two with a Dexim Monster Truck that can be controlled by your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Using the included transmitter and the free AppSpeed app, move the truck either by using the on-screen touch controls or use the device’s accelerometer. The car can be moved by tipping your iPhone forwards, backwards or sideways. The AppSpeed Monster Truck will retail for $69.99 and will be available this Fall.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: iPhone, RC Toy

Dexim Announces New AppSpeed iOS-controlled Vehicle originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 8, 2011 at 1:00 pm.